Hello, everyone!
I’m about to buy a practice set built by the maker who’s name serves av the title for this topic.
I’ve searched just about every uilleann piping forum on the internet, and yet I haven’t been able to find any comments on this maker.
Does anybody here know anything about them?
The set was bought seven years ago, so it is possible that the maker has quit or something.
You might ask the pipe maker to provide a list of clients, and ask them…
… another important (IMO) consideration is to find out how long this maker has been making pipes? (Not interning for a pipemaker, but how long has he been at it?)
Just googled McDeura and would suggest you do the same. Then read this thread - you have been warned.
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=34434
General advice is to go for a well known established maker.
There are several members of this forum from Sweden so would suggest contacting them eg ‘MarcusR’ has a very nice Bill Hanneman set and see what he has to say about how they stand up to to your own climate
John
(BTW, it’s ‘Haneman’ (one ‘n’ in the middle), lest anyone have trouble with email etc. The email given on the NPU website is incorrect but the website URI is correct)
(boldface type added by myself)
Hmmm… the fact that there’s little known may be very telling.
As Elmek did, I also googled “McDeura bagpipe”, and it would seem that the name “McDeura” is not a person - and it further appears that these pipes are Pakistani-made, thus Elmek’s link to the ‘Sticky’.
Like he said, ‘you have been warned’.
Yeah, I know that the name “Deura” is pakistani, but yet…
The seller bought them at Fredmans Musik, wich is a highly regarded company in Sweden, well known for not selling crap.
I don’t need a top-of-the-line set, I only need something playable.
The fact is, these pipes costed about 675 euro new, so I think that theyt perhaps aren’t that bad (not as bad as Mid-East).
For around that same price, you can get a nice budget set from one of the makers over here in the states (search Pat Sky and Uilleann Pipe Works of Boston). Reputable names, attractive price range/exchange rate, and a short lead time. With something like this instrument, you don’t want to take a risk and get something pakistani made just so that it ends up MAYBE being playable (and the chance of that is probably less than 1%). The truth is, this instrument takes a huge commitment, both mentally and financially. Good luck, and be aware that you’ve been well warned.
I don’t think that Fredmans Music intends to sell crap but I doubt that anyone there play the uilleann pipes or even have a clue about how they are suppose to be played. They just don’t know what they are selling.
Thats just the thing, it seems to be very hard to find a mid-east set that is playable.
Is the seller of these pipes a good player? Have you heard them and if so do you like the sound?
If yes in both cases and the price is right, buy them.
But have in mind that if you need any assistance from a pipemaker in the future it will be a hassle to send
them of to Pakistan, dont’ think the Fredmans Music will give you much support either 
Most pipemakers here in Europe will not take on a mid-east set so you will be very much on your own.
My advice:
Buy the best chanter you can afford from a well respected maker.
If you need to cut down your cost get a bellows kit and make your own vinyl bag.
Bill Haneman does indeed make some very nice pipes, so does Chris Bayley,
and there are also many other good pipemakers around with relatively short waiting lists for a practise set.
I’ll send you a PM next time I’m down south and you can have a go at my Haneman and Bayley chanters if we can meet up.
Pär K (ojvoj) playes a Rogge full set and lives less than an hour from you, get in contact with him before you buy anything.
Cheers!
/MarcusR
And therein lies the problem - you’d be buying these pipes from a company - a reseller, in this case, which leaves you without the support you’d get from the actual person who made them.
It’s almost a sure bet that if you are buying from a company rather than a known pipemaker, then you want nothing to do with their wares. Like, caveat emptor, totally big time.
Check out NPU there’s two secondhand practice sets for sale. One by Mick Dooley only costs 500 euros. The other a Rogge practice set costs 1000 euros. I’d go for the Mick Dooley set. Mick is very experienced (has a beautiful Taylor set). No waiting time, and the sets are in Ireland. Mick is a stand up guy should you need assistance, reeds etc.
http://www.pipers.ie/classifieds.asp
Otherwise if you’re after a brand new set try Bill Haneman or Chris Bayley, both based in Ireland resp. England. A quick cheap flight from Sturup and you are in Dublin or London. There’s a session in Lund, Sweden on the 20th of May I believe. I’ll be there and probably Per Kristoffersson from Helsingborg with his pipes. Vi ses kanske. Mike Dooley är en mycket trevlig man.
Listen to Marcus. Cernunnos, if I saw one of the reputable musical instrument suppliers in my own city selling something so specialised as uilleann pipes, I would be very suspicious right off the bat that however well-intentioned, they wouldn’t have a clue. I would consider even a reasonably good set of pipes being sold so to be a happy accident, with the odds for that being off the charts. And that goes even moreso for a national franchise. This is one instrument that you just don’t get from businesses like that if you want to hope for a decent instrument and service when problems arise.
I think the sets are sold by now (what the seller told me) 
So what was the outcome - following the advice or are you taking a very big chance and going for the MacDeura ?
The outcome is that I will try out a Robbie Hughes set, which MarcuR is selling, instead.
Hi!
I’ll send down my Robbie Hughes practise set to Pär K in Helsingborg (ojvoj), so you can give it a try.
But if you are really serious I would suggest that you also contact ojvoj or steampacket and try to meet up with some pipers down there so you can try a few different chanters before you decide what to get.
My Hughes chanter has a strong sound with good volume and quite a bit of character. But it also require a little harder reed and there fore a bit more bag pressure. So far no one has come up with a softer reed that works really well without to much compromise between the back and bottom d.
There are 3 or 4 good pipers on the board that has played my Hughes chanter, and if anyone is interested and want a second opinion just let me know.
Asking price for the practise set is 550 EUR.
Cheers!
/MarcusR